Taking Chances
by Lady Callista
Summary: It had been Blaine's idea to play what was basically the first half of Truth or Dare as a way to get to know each other better, and Kurt had been skeptical at first. As much as he was in love/lust with this boy, it was still difficult to open up and trust someone with too much of himself. But Blaine was making it easier every day. Second in the "When Flowers Bloom" series.
1. Chapter 1

Dislaimer: Glee belongs to FOX, the writers, producers, actors, etc. I am making no money from this, and no copywrite infringement is intended. All quotes were found online and are attributed to their authors if I could find them.

AN: The second story in the "When Flowers Bloom" series, reading the first is not necessary but would be helpful. This takes place about two weeks after the first story, "Blossom," and is set a few days before the episode "Born This Way."

* * *

Taking Chances

By Lady Callista

_OoOoOoO_

"_The flower has opened, has been in the sun and is unafriad. I'm taking more chances, I'm bold and proud." -Paula Cole_

_OoOoOoO_

They had only been dating for just under three weeks -19 days and three-ish hours, he thought, both embarrassed by the fact that he was keeping count and proud of the fact that at least he didn't count to the minute anymore- and Kurt could still feel the buzzing thrill of being cuddled up together on Blaine's bed rather than sitting with their backs to the headboard and their shoulders only occasionally brushing. It was their weekly get-together to watch the new episode of _American Idol_, and it was so familiar while being so vastly different.

Physical closeness wasn't something Kurt had been accustomed to before Blaine, while his boyfriend -yup, the amazement and delight at being able to say that word still coursed through him at odd moments- was the exact opposite. Blaine was nearly a compulsive toucher, from less than a minute after they met when he had grabbed Kurt's hand, to only half an hour ago when he had greeted Kurt with a long, warm hug that turned into a breathtaking kiss.

So while it wasn't something he had been used to before Blaine, and he still wasn't used to it with anyone _but_ Blaine, Kurt found that he was coming to crave this closeness more and more.

Blaine was a warm, comforting weight on his chest, and Kurt was acutely aware of the hand that had started resting on his heart and been cautiously inched up until it rested on the curve of his neck, thumb trailing maddeningly wonderful random patterns up the side of his neck, occasionally brushing a spot just behind his earlobe that sent a twinge of heat through Kurt every single time.

He was equally aware of his own arm wrapped around Blaine's body, his fingers resting on the slight curve of the younger boy's waist, finally growing brave enough a few minutes ago to start caressing, trailing in ever growing spirals. Their blazers had been discarded before they lay down to cuddle, as had now become normal, and Kurt loved feeling the heat of Blaine's skin through the thin white dress shirt.

Kurt looked away from the TV, which he was barely paying attention to anyway despite it being tuned to one of his favorite shows, and glanced down at Blaine, daring to raise his free hand and trail his fingertips over the side of Blaine's neck and down to the hollow of his throat.

Their ties had been discarded along with their blazers for the first time, the top few buttons of their shirts undone, and Kurt suddenly knew why two hundred years ago a glimpse of ankle had been considered sexy, or why geisha had been trained to flash the underside of their wrist while pouring tea or dancing. His fingers trailed from the hollow of Blaine's throat to trace lightly along his collarbone with a kind of wonder, a joy at this type of intimacy that Kurt had always envisioned but didn't think he would ever be allowed to have. Such a small, innocent glimpse of skin, made sexy simply be the fact that he had never touched it before.

Something so simple, being able to cuddle with someone you cared about, and to Kurt it felt almost as good as he imagined winning a Tony would. Because in some ways it had seemed more unobtainable, and because Kurt knew that it would affect his life just as much. He knew, even with barely any history behind them, that Blaine would become one of the most important people in his life, possibly even the most important.

That knowledge was just a little bit more wonderful than it was terrifying.

The show switched to commercial then, Kurt registering it only because his mind had memorized the music that always accompanied the switch long ago, and he pulled himself out of his deep thoughts when Blaine spoke softly.

"So, which Disney princess is your favorite?"

"That's easy - Ariel." Kurt answered at once. "I kinda feel like her ocean is my Ohio, and that everything will be fine once I get to where I want to be."

"New York City, center of the universe…"

"You are not about to break into song." Kurt recognized the cadence of the words at once. "Especially not one where all the people want to do is get _out_ of New York."

"Fair enough." Blaine chuckled before adding, "Your turn then."

"Hmmm… favorite ice cream?" Kurt queried after a few seconds of thought.

"Gotta go with cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip." Blaine responded at once. "Although I only eat ice cream when I really need a comfort food."

Kurt filed that information away for future reference even as Blaine asked the next question.

"Favorite color?"

"Black." Kurt answered at once with a smirk, pausing slightly before adding, "It goes with everything."

Blaine chuckled as he tilted his head to kiss Kurt on the cheek. "Trust you to think of fashion first. Okay, your question."

"Same question." Kurt decided.

It had been Blaine's idea to play what was basically the first half of _Truth or Dare _as a way to get to know each other better, to move beyond friends to boyfriends in a tangible way, and Kurt had been skeptical at first. As much as he was in love/lust with this boy, it was still difficult for him to open up and trust someone with too much of himself. He had managed it when they talked last week, and been so much more relaxed in their relationship once he learned how unfounded all of his fears were. But they had kept things light since then, and while the make-out sessions had become a little more intense, the conversations had not. They were both comfortable where they were at the moment.

The questions so far had all been mundane, and Kurt did have to admit that even these small glimpses and tidbits made him feel closer to the boy whose head was currently pillowed on his chest. "Favorite color."

"I'm not sure." Blaine said softly.

Kurt could swear he heard embarrassment in Blaine's voice, so instead of teasing him about not knowing something as simple as his favorite color Kurt asked softly, "Why not?"

There was a long pause, and Kurt resisted the urge to push, knowing from Blaine's tone that for some reason the question was more personal than it seemed. His patience was rewarded when Blaine finally answered him.

"Because I can never decide what color your eyes are." Blaine felt the heat rush to his cheeks even as he spoke softly, and he heard the sharp intake of breath Kurt let out at the words. Gathering his courage, he raised up onto one elbow to look into Kurt's eyes. "Like, right now, they're this really light blue, like the sky on a clear summer day. But when you first walked in they were darker, almost like a sapphire. And I swear I've seen them every shade of green, and sometimes even gray."

Still somewhat shocked that Blaine was using his eyes to determine his favorite color, Kurt looked down into dark eyes that was similarly difficult to classify and smiled softly, feeling the blush on his cheeks. "Well, it says blue on my driver's license, but the proper term is glasz."

Blaine cocked his head, "Which means what exactly?"

Kurt chuckled, "Well, it means you can't really use it as your favorite color, because it's a word only used to describe eyes, but it basically means that they change from blue to green to grey. It's not used much, cause it's kinda rare, but, well… I can't believe you noticed." Kurt left it unsaid that no one ever had before.

"I notice everything about you." Blaine felt his blush intensifying and ducked his head back down unto Kurt's chest

It should have been corny, or sounded like a line, but Blaine's tone of voice was one of simple truth. Kurt tilted his head down slightly to kiss Blaine's forehead, still feeling a thrill that he could, that the simple act was not only allowed but welcome, even encouraged. But beyond that gesture Kurt didn't know how to acknowledge Blaine's comment; saying _thank you _sounded dumb, echoing the line back dumber, and beyond that his still slightly stunned brain wasn't offering any suggestions. The quip came automatically as his brain defaulted to wittiness, although with humor rather than bite. "You never noticed that I liked you."

"I did, a little, at first." Blaine said into Kurt's chest, registering the teasing tone yet wanting to answer seriously. "The look on your face the day we met, when you first saw me and the Warblers perform, god, Kurt, no one has ever looked at me like that before."

"I must have looked so stupid." Kurt reflected back on the moment fondly though, and even replaying the memory in his head sent a jolt of adrenaline through him that washed away the embarrassment.

"You didn't, actually, you looked kind of cute." Blaine gathered his courage and raised himself back onto his elbow again, looking deeply into Kurt's eyes. "But then you told me what you were going through, and how someone had forced you to kiss them, and you just… you really seemed like you just needed a friend. And we got along so well, we had so much in common, and most things were so easy to talk about. It was just, like, instant best friend, you know?"

Kurt smiled fondly, understanding where this was going. "I know, it was exactly the same for me."

"And then we get to the part I've already told you, that I cared about you too much and was afraid to mess things up." Blaine concluded.

Kurt's smile grew. "I'm glad you decided to risk it."

"Me too." Blaine's smile beamed as he leaned in for a soft kiss.

The kiss grew as Blaine's free hand came up to cup Kurt's cheek, and Kurt responded by sliding his fingers lightly up and down Blaine's side. Their mouths opened slowly, deepening the kiss even as twin thrills ran down their spines. Kissing deeply like this, even after a few weeks of doing so, was still new and exciting as they explored angles and techniques, and being vertical for only the second time while kissing this deeply was both amazing and a tiny bit nerve-wracking.

Last time they had know Burt would be home in twenty-minus-X minutes.

Here, in Blaine's room at Dalton, knowing that Blaine's roommate was going to be out with his girlfriend for hours yet, well, that made the nerves they had thought were gone after the first time return, and return full force.

But those nerves slowly heated into excitement as the kiss deepened yet again, and both boys stopped thinking altogether.

Long moments passed before they drew apart in unison, breathing deeply as their eyes opened and held each other's. Neither of them noticed that the commercials were long done and the show was back on.

Every nerve in his body humming, blood rushing to parts of his body he didn't want to think about right now, Kurt knew that he needed to cool down a little. He lightly tightened the arms that were still wrapped around Blaine, urging his boyfriend to lay back down on his chest.

As he cuddled in, Blaine said seriously, "It's my turn to ask a question, but I need to know if you want this to go back to being light and easy, or if it can get more serious."

"Can I decide once you ask?" Kurt felt the flutter of nerves in his stomach, yet it melted almost completely away on the wash of sweetness that flowed through him when he felt Blaine lacing their fingers together. He trusted Blaine, he knew nothing he ever said to him would go further than them, nor would it ever be used against him. But there were some things he just knew he still wasn't ready to talk about, even with Blaine. He had told the other boy as much last week, and it was still true.

"Of course." Blaine said reassuringly. "I meant what I said that it's okay if there're some things you don't want to talk about yet. We have all the time in the world."

Kurt could hear the smile in Blaine's voice, as well as the endless patience that was slowly wearing away the shell he had developed out of sheer self-preservation. "Then ask the serious question." Because he wanted to know more about this amazing boy, and he couldn't think of anyone else he would rather share his real self with in return.

"If you don't want to answer it, you don't have to."

Blaine was the one who sounded nervous now, and Kurt managed a light chuckle. "As someone who notices everything about me, you should know just how much of a pushover I am _not_. But I, I like this. I like that I have someone I can talk to like this, about, you know, anything. About all those things I've never told anyone, and about all the things no one has ever cared enough to ask. I'm not used to it, and I'm still a little nervous, but I _like_ it."

Blaine raised their still joined hands to his lips, kissing the back of Kurt's hand tenderly even as he whispered, "That's exactly how I feel. And what I wanted to ask was… and I'll answer the same question… but, uh, how did you first come out?"

Kurt tensed automatically as an echo of the fear and near panic that had washed over him when he first told Mercedes came back, not fear that she would tease him or torment him, he was used to that, but fear that he would lose one of the only friends he had. Panic that she would focus more on the fact that he had lied to her about liking Rachel, that she had bared her heart and he had responded with a lie.

Blaine felt it immediately when Kurt tensed, and he raised their hands again, his kiss this time landing on Kurt's fingertips. "How about I tell you mine first, and then… if you want, you can tell me yours."

"You really are the most amazing boyfriend." The words were out of Kurt's mouth before he realized he'd thought them, but he had no desire to call them back.

Blaine chuckled self-consciously, "I just feel like I can tell you anything, Kurt, and more than that, I _want_ to. I want you to know me in a way no one else ever has, and it seems crazy since we've only known each other for a few months, and been dating for a few weeks, but I feel like I can trust you with anything."

"You can." Kurt whispered simply even as a whirlwind of emotions ran through him. He didn't know what he had done to deserve that trust, but he vowed to himself then and there that he would never betray it. "And I feel the same, I really do, there're just some things I barely let myself think about, let alone talk about. Some things I'm not ready to share with anyone, but I can promise that when I am you'll be the first."

"And that's perfectly okay." Blaine responded immediately, yet again raising himself up on his elbow to watch Kurt's face. "So, the simple question was going to be what your favorite desert was."

"It's cheesecake." Kurt answered at once, taking a deep breath before leaning forward and kissing Blaine lightly on the lips. "And I want to know how you first came out. I want to know who you told, and what made you decide that was the right time. And I want to know what you were feeling when you did it, and how that person reacted. And then…" Kurt took another deep breath before finishing, "And then I want to tell you all those things too."

TBC….


	2. Chapter 2

Dislaimer: Glee belongs to FOX, the writers, producers, actors, etc. I am making no money from this, and no copywrite infringement is intended. All quotes were found online and are attributed to their authors if I could find them.

AN: Sorry I didn't get this edited sooner (Lady Gaga's concert, or more specifically my outfit for it, took way too much time but turned out so awesome), but here's the rest of it. Reviews are ever appreciated, and knowing what readers enjoy makes it much more likely that future stories will get even better!

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Taking Chances

By Lady Callista

_OoOoOoO_

"_The flower has opened, has been in the sun and is unafriad. I'm taking more chances, I'm bold and proud." -Paula Cole_

_OoOoOoO_

"It was a few weeks before Homecoming my freshman year, and my older brother was teasing me about not having a date for the dance yet." Blaine recalled softly, telling Kurt something he had shared with no one else. "He was just being merciless, in this way he has that makes it seem like it's all in good fun but it really doesn't feel that way to me. I was already kinda in a downward spiral since it hadn't really been that long since I'd figured it out myself, and…and I just snapped, and I blurted out that I was scared to ask the person I liked."

Kurt remained silent when Blaine trailed off for a short while, simply stroking his back comfortingly. He felt Blaine attempting to control the slight tremble running through his body, and realized that Blaine had just gotten the same shot of adrenaline over remembered fear that Kurt himself had gotten when he remembered coming out to Mercedes.

"He must have seen something, in my eyes or on my face, because suddenly he stopped teasing." Blaine recalled, and Kurt could again hear the smile in his voice. "I expected him to call me a wuss, or question the size of my manhood, or any number of things. But instead he sat on the bed next to me and asked me why I was scared."

Something in the quality of Blaine's silence made Kurt think he was waiting for a response, and so Kurt ventured softly, "And so you told him."

"And so I told him I was scared because the person I liked, the person I wanted to ask, was a boy." Blaine's voice was the next thing to a whisper.

Kurt let the silence hold again, and when it once again became clear that Blaine was expecting some kind of reply, he questioned gently, "And what did he say?" Blaine never really talked about his older brother, Kurt had known that he existed but that was about it, and knowing the strained relationship that Blaine had with his father Kurt really hoped the mystery brother had taken things better. The few times Blaine had ever mentioned him had not made it seem like they got along.

"He grinned, and I thought he was gonna tease me or something worse," Blaine said softly, "But all he said was, _'I can see why that scares you.'_"

"He knew?"

"I don't think so, but you have to know him he… he just takes anything in stride." Blaine said, a smile in his voice. "I asked him what I should do, and he said that depended on if I was ready to tell other people or not. He never said anything against it and never teased me about it… about everything else, but never that."

It was the only time Kurt had ever heard Blaine say anything remotely positive about his brother, and it gave him hope that eventually the two brothers could reconcile.

He knew what it was like to have a brother now, after all, and although he didn't get to see Finn much the taller boy had very much filled a gap in his life Kurt hadn't known was there. It maybe hadn't been the gap he had been thinking of Finn filling in the beginning, but… well, he had Blaine now, and he had to admit that worked out better for all concerned. The innocent infatuation he had had for Finn, for the only boy who was ever even the smallest bit nice to him, was nothing compared to how he felt about Blaine. It had felt similar in the beginning, but the feelings were so much deeper now. So much stronger.

"Kurt?"

Kurt realized he had gotten lost in his thoughts, and hurried to say, "Sorry, I was just thinking it was nice to hear you say something positive about your brother. And it got me thinking about Finn. It's not the same, we didn't grow up together, but he never teased me when I came out as gay. I mean, another thing that isn't the same for me is that most people assumed anyway, but…"

"What do you mean, they assumed…"

"That I was gay." Kurt responded softly. "It's the….well…" He slid his hand out of Blaine's to gesture awkwardly up and down his body.

"You just gestured to all of you." Blaine was groaning and sinking his head deeper into Kurt's chest even as the unintentional reference left his mouth

Kurt couldn't stop the slight chuckle that escaped his lips, and it still tinged his voice as he answered, "I could say I was gesturing to my fabulous ensemble," Although he didn't always take advantage of it, Kurt loved that they weren't forced to wear their uniforms once dinner was over, relished the few hours he had to show off his fashion sense, "And I guess partly I am, cause no straight boy our age has this fashion sense. But people assume it when they meet me, and it really is just because of all of me. I don't really mind so much anymore, it's not like they're wrong, but it was hard in the beginning."

"Did you dad assume?"

Kurt heard the hesitancy in the question, even here Blaine didn't want to push him to talk if he didn't want to. But the question brought a smile to his face. "When I told him, he said he'd known since I was three. And that he didn't understand it, but he loved me no matter what. Then he thanked me for telling him, and gave me the best hug in the world."

Blaine propped himself up on his arm again then, looking into Kurt's eyes, a smile blooming on his own face. "You're so lucky to have him. Was he the first one you told?"

Kurt chuckled again, although this time it was tinged with embarrassment. "The second, actually, uh, Mercedes was the first."

"Your best friend, I can see that." Blaine said softly when Kurt didn't go on.

Kurt started speaking then, his words becoming more rapid and slurred together as he went on. "She is now, well, other than you, but her and I weren't quite that close yet. It, uh, well, the short version is Mercedes had a crush on me, so I lied and said I had one on Rachel, and Mercedes got really mad and I felt bad about it, so I told her the truth and I think she was more upset about the lying than the truth, although it still hurt her, and…"

"Kurt, breath." Blaine leaned in and kissed him softly before the ramble could continue. He still remembered his shock the first time the boy had gone on like this, right after the second time they kissed. He had stopped it then by taking Kurt's hand, and asking in a whisper if Kurt would go out with him.

"_Do you mean, like, on a date?" Kurt asked, voice still breathy from his previous rant. He just hadn't known what to do when they stopped kissing that second time. He didn't have the nerve to pull Blaine into yet another kiss, despite how much he wanted to, but his brain hadn't quite emerged from the fog enough to think of anything intelligent to say. And so to his utter horror even as it was happening he had begun babbling on Blaine's song choice of all things, on how they'd have to shift the key, and which parts it might sound good for them to harmonize on, and if they should have choreography, and… well, Kurt didn't really remember after that. Because Blaine had reached out and linked their fingers together even as he asked the question Kurt could barely believe he had heard correctly._

"_Um, well, yeah, that too." Blaine's voice was a touch deeper than normal, and he scooted forward a bit until their knees brushed together. "I hadn't really thought past this point, I really couldn't because I didn't know how you would react, but really when you think about it Kurt, we've been on dozens of dates. I mean they weren't, but… well, it's not like we don't know if we'll get along or not."_

"_I still want an official first date." Kurt wasn't sure where the courage to say those words came from, even though he did say them teasingly. He saw the twinkle in Blaine's eyes at the words though, and realized part of it really was that simple. He'd always had an easy banter with Blaine, right from the beginning, and even though the kiss had changed so much, maybe it hadn't really changed this at all. They were still the same people they had been, still friends, just more now. Potentially so much more._

_Blaine grinned, his grip on their still joined hands tightening briefly. "We don't really have much free time with Regionals less than a week away, but after that for sure. The revival theatre down the street is always performing something or other, I know I've told you about it before but we've never managed to get there."_

"_But then we have to wait a week. What about when we make our coffee shop trip after classes tomorrow?" Kurt wondered aloud._

"_I kinda like the idea of the theatre, because it's not just our normal routine. A first date should be special, not something we've done dozens of times before." Blaine returned, an odd hesitation in his voice._

"_I thought you said weren't good at romance." Kurt said softly, his very nature singing at the sweetness of Blaine's words._

"_I believe my exact words were that I didn't know what I was doing, but… but I'm trying to learn." Blaine returned, blushing even more deeply than he had while looking so adorably sheepish after their first kiss. "And I wasn't just asking you on a date. I was asking if… well, if you wanted to go out with me. I mean, with just me."_

_The word Blaine had avoided saying sang through Kurt's head and caused heat to spread throughout his body. For an instant he was terrified that all of this was a dream, but Kurt supposed if that were the case they would have somehow faded into a room filled with candlelight and soft music. Or maybe a field of lilacs. None of that withstanding, he hadn't dreamed of Blaine in this way in far too many weeks. He had more or less given up on it._ _"There's no one else." The words caused him the flush and break eye contact, but he got them out._

_Blaine's breath hitched and his hand tightened again. "Then you'll go out with me?" He swallowed audibly, then just went for it, his voice suffering slightly from the babbling that was normally Kurt's purview. "I know neither of us has ever had a boyfriend, and I still don't really know what I'm doing, although like I just said, trying to learn, but will you… Kurt, do you want to be my boyfriend?"_

_Kurt's eyes shot back up to meet Blaine's as all his old-fashioned daydreams about the future suddenly shifted into technicolor, his eyes widening even as his breath caught in his throat. "Yeah." It was the only word he could get out, and so he repeated it for good measure. "Yeah."_

"Blaine?"

"Sorry." Blaine's thoughts jerked forcefully into the present, and the curious look on Kurt's face made him wonder how long he had been sitting there lost in his thoughts. "I was just remembering the first time you started babbling like that, and it took me a minute to realize what was going on." Blaine knew now that it was a manifestation of nerves, and that it meant Kurt was talking about something he wasn't completely comfortable with. "You don't have to tell me about Mercedes, not if you don't want to."

"It's not that, it's just that it's not the proudest moment of my life. I sort-of cringe remembering how scared and stupid I was." Kurt admitted, which in some ways was just as difficult as telling the short version of the story.

"We're all scared and stupid sometimes." Blaine interjected softly, with a laugh that quickly turned self-deprecating as he added, "Remember when I was scared about messing up our friendship, and too stupid to realize that you were the most amazing person ever?"

Kurt chuckled at the wording of the second part, knowing Blaine was trying to lighten things up. Somehow he always knew just when to do that. "That wasn't overly stupid, I am an acquired taste after all."

Blaine joined in with the laughter as he caught the teasing tone in Kurt's voice. He leaned in to kiss him lightly, daring to trail feather-light kisses along Kurt's cheek and a deeper one over the pulse-point in his neck before whispering huskily, "I think the word you're looking for is _addictive_."

Kurt couldn't help the slight tremble that went through him as Blaine's breath blew warm across his ear, nor the warmth that shot through him at the words themselves.

Blaine felt the tremble, and returned his lips to Kurt's neck, skimming light kisses up and down the narrow column, zoning in on the areas that caused Kurt to hum in appreciation. He felt Kurt's hand brushing up his side, and then fingers were trailing lightly over his cheek. Blaine turned his cheek into the touch, lips shifting to lay a gentle kiss on Kurt's palm before cuddling back down onto his chest.

"That felt awesome." Kurt whispered, causing Blaine to chuckle.

"Neck or hand?"

"Both." Kurt admitted, feeling his face heat but not hesitating over the word. He still wasn't completely comfortable taking the initiative when they were like this, unless it was leaning in for a simple kiss, but talking about it was easier now. Knowing Blaine would never tease him over his insecurities made everything so much easier.

"Does that mean I should do it again?" Blaine tilted his head up even as Kurt looked down, the angle slightly awkward as their eyes met.

"Yeah, but…" Kurt trailed off as he tried to organize his thoughts. More kisses, more touching, of course that sounded like a good idea; it seemed he could never get enough of Blaine. But the emotional closeness when they confided personal things in each other was just as amazing, "But first I have a story to tell you."

Blaine reached over grab the remote and flick the TV off, as they weren't watching it anymore anyway, and then cuddled back into Kurt, their arms wrapped around each other as Kurt began telling the longer version of his coming out to Mercedes.

And when he was done they went back to kissing.

FIN


End file.
